Guest - good point. I have only been doing this for about a year, but once I decide which direction I want to go in (competitons, social, focusing on something like tango or swing, etc.), I may or may not need a different teacher. Very, very few teachers can be all things to all students.

Check out competition results from your area.

Then find out the teachers' names for students placing in the finals near your level.

That's where I'd start looking.

OB

Great discussion. IlliniDancer, you should definitely start checking out the other independent studios in your area. I can almost guarantee you'll find someone who you will enjoy taking lessons with as much as your franchise instructor.

AM does seem to get slammed a lot more on here than FADS. I started with Fred Astaire and after a while, you do get tired of the cheesy sales pitches and high pressure attempts to buy more lessons. The tactics at FADS are very much the same as AM. There's a "Social" program you start on, and then they try to get you to buy into their "Bronze" program. Within their "Bronze" program is typically mulitple levels which require you to pay more money to move thru each level. The problem with franchises is that they miss the point of dancing. Dancing is about movement and not steps.

I finally left the chain world and went to a really amazing independent studio. It's a whole new world, and I think you'll find the same thing true when you leave for a better studio.

You guys have gotten me really excited about finding other studios! lol. Thanks so much for your help....
While we are on the discussion, anyone from the Chicago area and could recommend a studio or teacher??

I dont think that AM is bad, even though I left AM close to 10 years ago.

The one think that AM does well, is introduce new dancers to ballroom. They have the ability to make the experience fun, and know how to make the new dancer at ease. I think if we had started dancing anywhere else we would still not be dancing 15 years later. For this reason alone, I cant say bad thinkg about AM. Now having said that, the program is way overpriced, and to continue on in dance it (for me anyway), made sense to seek out other studios. We found that independent studios often have more qualified teachers, at a fraction of the cost. In my expereince most AM studios focus on the social aspect of dance, and even thier comps have a high social element to them. To continue on, especially competitvely, an independent is a better choice.

I always buy our lessons in large blocks. With priviate lessons 3 times a week, our purchase usually lasts a year. Purchasing large blocks decreases the cost, and I know for certain I will use them. At the studio I dance with the owner tells me a about a month in advance how many lessons we have left, and that is the extent of th sales pitch!

When I began taking lessons, 6 years ago, I had the great good fortune to be steered to a FORMER chain teacher (I dont know if he had been AM or FA), who always made it fun so that even if I didnt learn anything during a lesson, I enjoyed the time spent.

And after moving 200 miles away from him, and going to many other teachers, several quite good, I still miss him greatly. He was the best.

Jerry

Of all the thousands of teacher out there, only a comparative handfull are actually any good at teaching students how to dance easily. Most either don't really understand themselves what makes dancing work, or if they can do it they still can't communicate the details that would enable students to learn it without a decade or so of banging their heads against the wall assuming that it is their own fault and never realizing that they don't have a techer who can really help them. It's true that many of the people who walk in a studio door aren't ultimately interested in devoting their lives to the pursuit of dancing, and if they just want to get their feet a bit wet then of course most of the teachers out there can help them enjoy that. But for those committed to making real progress, those buying packages in order to learn and not simply to rent a partner, demanding a teacher who is actually helpfull is the first step.

When you find that rare educator, it doesn't matter one bit what name is over the studio door.

My husband and I bought an 8-lesson package from Arthur Murray (in Albquerque, NM) four years ago and have been paying those "crazy prices" ever since! In return for the big bucks, here is what we've enjoyed:
1)Some of the best-trained teachers I've ever known (and I've been hanging around dance studios for over 20 yrs).
2)World-class coaches and adjudicators brought in for the quarterly events in the studio.
3)Group classes that have exposed us to dances outside those we concentrate on in our private lessons, and introduced us to wonderful people who have become our friends.
4)Weekly parties at which we have the opportunity to practice what we've learned and meet with friends.
5) Quarterly "studio events," which, in addition to the benefit mentioned in 2 above, mark our progression from one level of dance to another as well as give us the opportunity to compete and perform.

So, while we could easily find less expensive instruction, I doubt we could find a comparable value in many other studios.

That's my two cents on the matter -- and, no, I am not on the AM payroll!

brenda

Here's my two cents: I get all the same benefits from an independent studio that Brenda gets from AM. I'm not knocking AM, but I do pay less for all those things, so it's possible to find the same "fringes" beyond one-on-one instruction at independents.

I agree with brenda...everyone should take lessons where ever they want. and all we keep talking about is money. I think that if all you are getting is dance lessons then none of us should pay a single cent. but if your instructor can build your confidence or make you meet new people...then we are all not paying enough!! :)